Milky Way from Porto Katsiki beach

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Milky Way from Porto Katsiki beach, Lefkada, Greece 12-08-21

Under a dark, moonless sky, the band of our own galaxy is visible, stretching across the sky. It appears as a hazy band of white light to the naked eye, arching the night sky.

In Greek mythology, the Milky Way was formed after Zeus suckled the infant Heracles at the breast of Hera, while she was asleep. When Hera awoke, she pushed Heracles away from her breast, splattering her breast milk across the heavens.

This band of light originates from the accumulation of unresolved stars, and other material, located in the direction of the galactic plane. Brighter regions around the band appear as soft visual patches known as star clouds. Dark regions within the band are areas where interstellar dust blocks light from distant stars. The Great Rift is a big dark region, comprised of a series of vast, overlapping dust clouds, located between our solar system and the Sagittarius arm.